Telemedicine Bill Essay

In the United States, a renewed interest occurred in telehealth in the 1990s according to McGonigle and Mastrian because of escalating costs, the need for greater access for all

Employers are beginning to incorporate telemedicine into the benefits package for their employees. Recognizing e-visits are beneficial to the employer, because the employee will not need as much time away from work to have non-emergent health conditions treated. In addition, the service is a cost savings to both the employer and employee. There are some employer groups covering these services at 100 percent for their employees’. E-visits are cheaper than clinic, and office visits.

Many of these barriers exist from lack of essentially knowing the benefits of what the incorporation of telehealth can offer within the aspect of this type of community. At times, there has been a great interest in telehealth surrounding its potential to reduce health care costs along with the improvement of patient outcomes, but at times there has been no known scientific evidence base underpinning it (McLean, Sheikh, Cresswell, Nurmmatov, Mukherjee, Hemmi & Pagilari, 2013).

Telehealth can help reduce high cost hospital visits such as stroke cases, neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) cases and other emergencies. There have been recent initiatives that collected data to see if telehealth was a cost effective option for healthcare. One initiative, Baby CareLink, places telehealth units in homes of low-birth weight neonates.12 For this initiative, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) in Boston installs the telehealth units in the neonates home for $2,000, and that units replaces a NICU stay of $5,000 per day.12 If a neonate was to stay in the NICU for 7 days, that would be a $35,000 expense that the $2,000 telehealth unit replaces. 12 Different disease states and emergency states will have different cost factors depending on the amount of medical care. However, the amount that a family can save on their newborn by investing in telehealth is quite significant. In a study from the Milwaukee and Iron Mountain Veterans Affairs Medical Centers (VAMC) telepulmonary program, telehealth was found to be more cost effective compared to routine care. This study was conducted over a year and telehealth had costs of $335 per patient per year compared to routine care, which was $585 per patient per year, and onsite care was also compared at $1,166 per patient per year.13 A sensitivity analysis was performed on these values, and it did show that the cost-effectiveness telehealth was dependent on successful telehealth consultation, equipment cost, and

Telehealth has been a large topic of debate in recent years because of the economic, political, and regulatory points of view. In deciding outcomes in these areas, it is the responsibility of all healthcare professions to identify information gaps in order to come to the more rational and beneficial conclusion about telehealth (Grace, 2014). Economically, there are concerns regarding the access and affordability of telehealth equipment. At the same time, telehealth is being adapted in ways to be utilized with technological devices that many individuals already have access to like telephones, cellular phones, and personal computers/laptops. Telehealth can positively impact both clients and providers by increasing access to care and reducing the time and costs associated with traveling for health care (Allen, Aylott, Loyola, Moric, & Saffarek, 2015). As telehealth develops technological devices can be made more affordable and can be covered by insurance policies (Thomas et al., 2014). Many nurses functioning as case managers can help provide the tools and resources individuals require to manage their health.

Access to Medicare services to the implementation of Affordable Care Act, commonly called Obamacare, some say that some will have difficulty finding doctors to accept new Medicare patients and to think that the service provided to Medicare beneficiaries will decline is also a myth. Looking at the findings from the 2011 Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey Access to Care research files, one can see the care given to Medicare beneficiaries. In 2011, 96.7 percent of surveyed Medicare beneficiaries claimed that they were satisfied with the quality of care given, which is an increase from 95.1 percent, just ten years ago (CMS, 2012). Giving their doctors good to excellent ratings for the services they provided to them while in their care. These beneficiaries are those who have private health insurance and also expect access to healthcare when Obamacare is implemented next year. But Medicare is gearing up to keep with the coming changes with plans to help beneficiaries. First thing beneficiaries should know is that Medicare is protected, so beneficiaries have the same coverage they had this year, regardless if it’s traditional Medicare or Medicare Advantage Plan. Medicare now covers certain preventive services, like mammograms or colonoscopies, without charging you for the Part B coinsurance or deductible, to include free wellness visits (Medicare, 2013). This is not the only good news; Obamacare ensures Medicare protection for another 12-year through 2029. Doctors will see more support from CMS programs through new initiatives and resources to support care coordination (Medicare,

The program includes case management and care coordination from a nurse or social worker. The program is designed to empower veterans to take an active role and manage their healthcare needs. One of the main goals of the home Telehealth program is to improve clinical outcomes and access to care. These outcomes reduce complications, hospitalizations and clinic or emergency visits. The Care coordination component will assist the veteran in giving them the tools necessary to be successful in caring for themselves. Management of this program

According to the journal article Telehealth is Calling, it describes 3 distinct technologies that fall under telehealth, this includes,

Restrictions on originating sites, geographic limitations, constraints on store-and-forward technologies and issues with Medicare reimbursements are just a few of the challenges. In the 114th Congress, Zipnosis was one of 98 organizations to publicly endorse the CONNECT for Health Act (H.R. 4442). With bipartisan support, CONNECT would have facilitated the full integration of telemedicine by removing geographical limitations, providing a federal definition of telemedicine, creating a level playing field for virtual care technologies and expanding Medicare’s telehealth and remote patient monitoring services.

Telehealth is the monitoring via remote exchange of physiological data between a patient at home and health care professionals at hospitals or clinics to assist with diagnosis and treatment. As our society ages and health care costs increase, government and private insurance payers are seeking technological interventions. Technological solutions may provide high quality healthcare services at a distance, utilize professional resources more effectively, and enable elderly and ill patients to remain in their own homes. Patients may experience decreased hospitalization and urgent care settings, and out of home care may not be required as the patient is monitored at home. However, no study has been able to prove telehealth

The delivery of health care has always been influenced by technological developments and innovations. This is particularly true in modern health care professionals where they are obsessed with technology and rush to apply them. One of the most recent applications of ICT – Information and computer technology- is telehealth. Telehealth is the use of communication, diagnostic and information technology to provide health care when patients and providers are geographically separated [2], Technologies include videoconferencing, the internet, store -and-forward imaging, streaming media, terrestrial and wireless communications. Telehealth could be as simple as two health professionals discussing a case over the telephone or as

When using Telemedicine humans can accomplish many great things and can benefit everyone. The potential this innovation has could be really great if they succeed on making it right. If this Innovation worked many lives will be saved across the world. As well as lives we might be able to learn new things from this and find more cures. According to professionals at the medical field telemedicine has been approving for the past couple years and as potential to keep going. Not only is this innovation good at saving lives it is also helping the economy by getting rid of competition. Even though some people see competition in the economy a good thing but it also has its downs that can really help some

There are weaknesses in the proposed plans to improve access. In the case of telehealth nothing can replace the hands on analysis of a trained physician. Any type of trauma care will still require an airlift to a trauma center for care. Complications such as reactions to medications, or complications of child delivery, would leave the patient in the hands of under trained staff. Such a program would require an infrastructure of physicians willing to teleconference. Second it would require an internet or satellite link that could not be disrupted.

There is an increasing need within the U.S. for quality health care to be provided to individuals who have limited access whether it is due to a rural environment, disabilities, or in the field of battle. Telemedicine is literally medicine provided at a distance. Telehealth is able to alleviate some of the effects of a growing shortage of professionals such as primary care physicians. In this type of health care delivery, the dynamics between the patient and the entire health care system changes. Telemedicine meets the increasing demands of patients to have greater access, or responsiveness, from a health care provider. It also meets the needs of the provider who is very interested in time-saving, safety-enhancing assistance in their daily practice. Employers and health plans are also very interested in telemedicine as a means of improving compliance with treatment plans and care management initiatives (Hodgkins, 2008). The use of email also allows the patient to have increased access to their health care providers. Instead of calling their health care provider’s office, patients are now able to email their non-emergent health care questions to their provider. Conversely, health care providers are able to email patients reminders for appointments or wellness tips.

There are several forms of technology that is used to monitor, assist patients with self-care management, assist physicians with delivering care to their patients, including consultation with specialist, and overcoming barriers with transportation. “60% of the healthcare executives, physicians, and nurses in this inaugural survey said that telemedicine was a high priority for 2015“ (Vockley, 2015, para. 7) Telemedicine